A miniature superconducting magnet developed by FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professors has shattered the previous world record for magnetic field strength, reaching an unprecedented 48.7 tesla at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory—more than 3 tesla beyond the previous benchmark.

Professors David Larbalestier and Seungyong Hahn pioneered the breakthrough technology behind “Little Big Coil,” a salt-shaker-sized electromagnet that achieved what many thought impossible.

Five FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professors will be honored by the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL) for their groundbreaking contributions to engineering research and innovation.

The November 2025 induction ceremony at the ASEMFL Annual Meeting will recognize these faculty members’ achievements across materials science, power electronics, plasma engineering and advanced manufacturing. All five inductees have also earned membership in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), underscoring their impact on transformative research.

Aidan “AJ” Hoolihan, a mechanical engineering graduate student at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, earned the 2025 Summer Student Best Poster Award at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for his superconductivity research.

Hoolihan is pursuing his master’s degree with a focus on superconducting materials—substances that conduct electricity without resistance at extremely low temperatures.